Ted Kotcheff

Ted Kotcheff, a veteran director whose works include "Weekend at Bernie's" and the first movie in the "Rambo" franchise, "First Blood," died April 10, 2025 of heart failure in Nuevo Nayarit, Mexico at the age of 94.

Kotcheff got his start directing television for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, transitioning into film in the 1960s. His 1971 work, "Wake in Fright," was nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes, a feat repeated by his 1985 film, "Joshua Then and Now." He also won acclaim for the Richard Dreyfuss-led "The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz," which in 1974 won the Golden Bear at the 24th Berlin International Film Festival. But among wider audiences, his best-known films are "First Blood," which helped launch the popular "Rambo" franchise starring Sylvester Stallone, and the zany 1980s comedy "Weekend at Bernie's."

His children paid tribute to him and to his fans on Facebook: "To us, he was just Dad-but we know that through his films, he became a part of so many other people's lives too. It's hard to put into words how much we'll miss him. His stories, his humor, his warmth-they live on in the work he poured his heart into. We're so grateful for the love and appreciation you've shown for his films over the years. It means more than we can say."

(Image: Mike Flokis/Getty Images)